Coastal

How we love our Atlantic...

Getting right into those tide pools, pulling back the seaweed and seeing what's creeping, scuttling or swimming about. We're doing it while we can too before that ocean air gets a little too icy for much exploring.



I have to give props to my sweet husband, with his background in environmental and experiential education, who has helped to give our children the precious gift of connectivity and a love of seeing what's in those little pools of wonder. Still, all that fancy background is by no means needed. Just a will to see what's there. To feel the life of the water, the critters and the air around you. Breathing in that salt air and feeling the sand underfoot is experience well beyond enough.



How we love the ocean...

Packages: WIP Wednesday

For celebrating life...

I have a little problem with time. I always seem to think I have so much more of it than I actually do. Whenever I imagine a project, I have no doubt, "Sure, I can do that!".

Not. even. a. blink.

Fast forward to mid project time, "Where I am going to find the time????...". Hmmm...The trouble is, more ideas than hours in the day and the simple fact that I need to stick with just one of those ideas to its fruition before hopping onto the next.

Still, I have fun, plug away and figure, someday these will look kinda cute in a birthday package for some little sweetie somewhere. That's really what motivates me. A young heart finding a little extra speck of joy in their special day via some handmade goodness.

Ahh, until then..I present, my WIP Wednesday:
Birthday Packages
Crowns to be specific ~



Add banners, chair decorations, maybe some invites, goody bags and treats, some game ideas and viola!

I'll set a little goal...how about completing just one of these themes for next week? Maybe a little Peter Rabbit or the Rocket theme? I'll take a peek and see what is just screaming at me to be finished. Meet me back here next week and we'll have a little looksee, shall we?

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Nesting

For Nest.

Have I mentioned I don't knit?

Oh, how I would love to though....just haven't made the time to teach myself. Whenever I have a snippet of crafting time I want to dive right in and get something done. Still, soon. Someday soon...

However, I do crochet! Albeit, its a very simple form of crochet, nothing too fancy but, that's o.k. I like simple. And while I feel like the last person on the planet to learn the fine art (or even a basic stitch) of knitting, this simple crochet ability has allowed me to make blankets for my babies, scarves for my loves and now some simple gifts for neighbors near and far. Sometimes simple is just right.

Sunday we took a little family drive out to Owl's Head which afforded me plenty of time to start and finish that wool scarf for Nest.



What a warmly wonderful and loving way to put useful hands to work. Just a bit of time and someone's body and soul are warmed.

Thank you Jean for such a beautiful gift for Maine's people and also for fellow crocheters and knitters alike. Our state is a little more blessed for your act of love...

Nine

This boy. I tell you.

Bless. His. Sweet. Sweet. Heart.

This is the boy, who when playing with Legos' Power Miners, is baffled that the Rock Monsters are normally depicted as the bad guys."They're only defending themselves and their resources". I know. No &%%#. Like I say, This. Boy.

Since he could talk he's been about fairness and justice. Nothing I did, he just came this way. Seems they really do come with a core of who they are...

This boy who cheered for his little sisters today as they knocked pins down during our celebratory birthday bowling outing.

This boy who still likes to be my companion. Who still holds his dad's or his mama's hand when walking down the road or across the parking lot.

This boy who after 2 hours of hard pushing and was then c-sectioned...this boy who was gray and limp ... This boy decided to stay and let me be his mama. For this, I am daily and ever after honored & blessed. Thank you baby. Thank you for being born and sharing your beautiful, bright life with us.

ps. photos courtesy of my love, N.

Organized

Or, trying my best to be.

The above is the view from what will be my new creative space once I settle in. Someday. Yes, someday soon...

In other news, I thought it might be fun to carry over a little of my new found organizational gusto to this space. It will give me an opportunity to share a little bit of quite a few things that I love ~
Inspired by Jodi, having h nature and our local community
Friday - Fieldtrip Friday, peek into designated days seems like a super swell idea - so here goes!
Monday - Mama Musings, snippets of mothering, the good, the bad and the beautiful
Tuesday - Action Tuesday, highlighting a fabulous awareness project or Tiny Space Tuesday where we'll share a little peek into how our home functions.
Wednesday ~ joining the gang over at the Fishbowl
Thursday - Take it outside - connecting with our environment and local community
Friday ~ Fieldtrip Friday ~ a peek into our homeschool journey
And Saturday? How about ship off Saturday where I post a winner for a little handmade goodness? For this week, here's a little Acorn love in the form of a crown - Good Luck!



Ah, I feel so organized already...;)

See ya summer

Hopefully sooner rather than later - fingers crossed!

While I do love a change in the seasons...winter seems to creep up so fast and stay so long. A little too long in my opinion but, then again, I do choose to live in Maine.

Still, this change? You can feel it. That fall crispness. Coldness really but, we like to call it crispness for a little romantic effect. Tonight? Downright cold. Apparently not too cold for the bats though. After dinner I took a walk down to the dock and saw, right above my head, 2 little brown bats cavorting around for their dinner against a sweet pink blue sunset sky. That scene amidst the crazy call of a loon and the sound of the lake's waves lapping against some anchored boats made me so grateful to be right where I am. Chilly air and all.

Our day today? Still cleaning out. Getting a little tired of this clearing out business but, really, it must be done. Where did all of this stuff come from anyway? Goodness, I remember moving all we had in the back of a bike trailer (ummm, maybe just a few years ago). Maybe a dozen trips and it was a done deal. If I tried that now, I would be hauling this stuff til Christmas. At least.

We're getting there though. Soon. Any day now. Really.

You know, it will be soon though. 'Cause frankly, I miss my babies. They have been keeping busy though as you can see...

Little Miss and her paint exploration:


...she obviously thought it was a taste test of sorts...



And some seriously gloopy goop. I will spare you the after photos of the deck. And their clothes. And their hair. Yikes.




Feeling brave?

Magic Muck from this
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
5-7 drops food coloring

Mix water and coloring together in bowl.
Slowly add cornstarch to water/color mixture. Do not stir!
Let the mix stand for 2-3 minutes.

Get messy and have some fun!

Boxed In

Outside.

Attempts to carve a little sewing space out of our garage (really just a built on space used for storage) yielded this find:



What a beauty 'eh?

I called over, "Hey girls, look what I found..." and like cats to a can of tuna (our cat actually could hear the sound of the opener on metal and would come running), they were by my side. In an instant, girls and box were outta here.

They set up house in the sun, box flap "porch" and all. Seems it got a little too toasty so they packed up and moved house to a shadier part of town - the backyard.



All day yesterday this was their thing... finding things in the woods and from inside to set up house. First thing this morning, the fun was on again.

Later in the day, they got a little hankerin' for some home improvements. It was time for a little construction (or deconstruction actually) and some windows were cut into place.




Nothing cuter than some little hands and faces peeking out of the "window" of a cardboard box.



Admittedly, I think some of their inspiration came from this book - one of our dearest faves around here. Until yesterday, they had never had the opportunity to have so much fun in such a big box. They've made trains, boats - all manner of transportation and exploration with smaller boxes we've had on hand; but a house box?

Now this was something new.